Sunoco is planning to replace its A-Plus Mini Market along Route 61 in Pottsville with a new one, according to a zoning application recently filed at City Hall.
"They're going to clear the lot and start fresh," Donald J. Chescavage, city code enforcement officer, said Wednesday.
A bigger convenience store, more gas pumps and more convenient parking will be among the amenities, Jeff Shields, Sunoco's communications manager, Philadelphia, said Thursday.
"The existing layout can get congested at the front of the lot during peak business hours. The new plan will provide 11 customer parking spaces at the front of the store, including one ADA accessible space," Shields said.
But before the project can begin, the Pottsville Zoning Hearing Board must approve a variance since Sunoco wants to put the new building closer to Line Alley. A public hearing on the matter will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 401 N. Centre St.
The Sunoco A-Plus Mini Market at 2 S. Claude A. Lord Blvd. was constructed "about 40 years ago," Shields said.
"We have a program where we review the most likely candidates for store upgrades, and it was time for this one," Shields said.
The plan is to demolish the current 2,000-square-foot structure and build a new one that is 2,955 square feet. There are eight gas pumps on site. The plan is to put 12 there, Shields said.
There is parking on the side and in back of the current building, but Sunoco wants a new layout with parking in front. And to do that, the proposed building must be located further east, closer to Line Alley, Shields said.
"The proposed building needs to be located to the rear of the lot, closer to Line Alley, in order to provide proper room at the front for maneuvering and customer safety," Shields said.
"Right now, the building is about 60 feet away from Line Alley. They want to tear that building down and build a new one, which will be three to five feet from the alley. According to the city ordinance, the building has to be 30 feet from that street because it's abutting a residential zone," Chescavage said Wednesday.
Those "rear yard setback requirements" are outlined in the City of Pottsville's Zoning Ordinance Chapter 220, Schedule 2, Chescavage said.
"The requirements say in general a new building must be 20 feet away from a street. But if it's near an R-district, it has to go to 30," Chescavage said.
In a zoning permit filed March 19 at City Hall at a cost of $750, Sunoco Inc., 10 Industrial Highway, Lester, Delaware County, unveiled some of the reasons for the upgrades to the location: "Better utilize the site to allow safe parking, safer customer access to the convenience store and align drive aisles with approaches to be more intuitive to the customers."
The current convenience store on the lot is L-shaped. One section of the building is 62 feet from Line Street and the other is 81 feet from the street, according to a site plan Sunoco submitted to the code enforcement office.
The proposed convenience store will be a 2,955 square foot rectangle 3 to 5 feet from Line Alley, according to the plan.
"We would like to start construction as soon as possible in 2014, pending approvals and receipt of building permits. Once permits are in hand, we will determine a schedule. The whole station will be closed during the rebuild, but we don't have a time frame on when it will close and reopen," Shields said.